British Dressage (BD) has revealed details of two new championships that will run from next year.
The organisation has responded to calls for more freestyle challenges to aim for and has created a new summer dressage to music festival for 2018.
This also addresses the grassroots gap that was formed when the new competition structure came into play.
“The introduction of three sections under the new competition structure lead to music classes spread over just silver and gold sections to fit the model, thus leaving a gap for a bronze level music championships,” said a BD spokesman.
“In addition, while the winter music championships works well, we’re regularly asked by the membership to introduce a second offering for music competitors in the summer.
“As a sport, we need to encourage more participation in music competitions to build on the London 2012 legacy of the ‘dancing horses’ and therefore a standalone summer music championships was felt to be the most appropriate solution.”
The provisional date is 16-19 August and the show will will have capacity for 430 combinations.
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The series will fit into the current summer qualifying period, which runs from 1 December 2017 to 18 June 2018. Qualification will work in a ranking/league table format.
Classes will run at the following levels:
Prelim: bronze and silver
Novice: bronze, silver and gold
Elementary: bronze, silver and gold
Medium: bronze, silver and gold
Advanced medium: bronze, silver and gold
PSG: bronze, silver and gold
Inter I: bronze, silver and gold
Grand prix: silver and gold (grand prix silver is to be defined in the 2018 rule book).
A new championship for bronze and FEI-level silver combinations is also scheduled for next year.
“As the competition structure stands, those competing in the silver sections have more competition opportunities with both area festivals and regionals to aim for,” said the BD spokesman.
“There aren’t the same options for bronze riders who only have area festivals to aim towards.
“Member feedback has highlighted that there’s also a gap for the ‘middle ground’ rider competing in the silver sections at PSG and above.
“This new championship aims to provide new opportunities for these riders and provide a more complete member experience.”
Qualification for this will also run in a ranking/league table format and the proposed dates for the finals are 25-28 May 2018.
For more information on the summer championships, click here, and for details on the bronze and FEI-level silver series championships, click here.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
